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NON-CUSTODIAL PARENT ACCESS TO RECORDS Massachusetts has recently changed the procedure for non-custodial parents to access information about their children from public schools. Forms and applications are available at the school office. These provide details about the requirements that must be met. A small postage fee will be assessed to complete this process. The new procedure requires that an eligible non-custodial parent who wants to obtain access to his/her child's school record must include a copy of a court order authorizing the release of information to them. The school must notify the custodial parent of this request before releasing information. A custodial parent may block the release of information to the non- custodial parent by providing the school with a countervailing court order. Any non-custodial parent currently on our mailing list must comply with the above procedures before receiving any additional information. TYPES OF STUDENT RECORDS All information kept in student records shall be of importance to the education process and limited to information relative to the educational needs of the student. Transcript- shall contain the minimum data necessary to reflect the student's educational progress and be limited to the name, address, phone number and birth date of the student, and the name, address and phone number of parent or guardian, course titles and grades, course credit, grade level completed and the year completed. Temporary Record -All information not contained in the transcript such as standardized test results, class rank, extracurricular activities and evaluations by teachers, counselors and other school staff. The temporary record is destroyed no later than 5 years after graduation, transfer or withdrawal of the student from the school system. The student and/or parent/guardian will receive prior written notice of the approximate date of destruction of the record and of their right to receive a copy of the information contained therein. The transcript is maintained for 60 years following graduation, transfer or withdrawal. The school principal is responsible for the privacy and security of all school records maintained in the school. AMENDING THE STUDENT RECORD The student and/or his or her parent/guardian shall have the right to add information, comments, data or any other relevant written material to the student record. The above persons have the right to request deletion of amendment of information contained in the student record. They shall also have the right to a conference with the principal to make their objections known regarding material contained in the record. In the event any decision of a principal is not satisfactory, the student and/or his or her parent may then appeal to the Superintendent in writing for a review of the objectives. 34